


All of the While, I Never Knew

by celestialcassy



Category: Life of the Party (Web Series)
Genre: M/M, They’re both dumbasses, cassian is a bitch, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:15:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21637951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celestialcassy/pseuds/celestialcassy
Summary: Life of the Party coffee shop au. Title from “Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop” by Landon Pigg.Cassian mistakes Renard for a barista, and they quickly establish their differences. Behind all their bickering, however, perhaps there’s some unspoken feelings.
Relationships: Cassian/Renard
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33





	All of the While, I Never Knew

The Sunflower Cafe was a small, local coffee shop. From wall to wall, the entire enterprise was decked in plants, and there was always a soft, acoustic tune playing from some invisible speaker. The workers were cheery and sweet, and no customers came by who didn’t love them. Every day, the machines turned on and didn’t stop until closing. From families to business men to first dates, everyone came to the Sunflower cafe. 

Renard was no exception. With a healthy discount of 10% off any order, courtesy of Boblem, he had every reason to be there at opening every morning. From seven to eight every single day, Renard spent an hour drinking cappuccinos and chatting with Astra and Boblem. Once he was done, he’d leave and find something else to do with his day. Eventually he began to stay for two hours, then three, and he increasingly got mistaken for a barista. 

Every time, he’d laugh it off and explain that he had no clue how to make a coffee. Until an incredibly attractive man strolled through the door with enough confidence for everyone in the room and demanded an espresso. Renard stuttered and was reduced to wordlessness at the sight of the man before him. He was tall, a few inches shorter than Renard, with tan skin and golden eyes. His face was structured, topped with a golden henna design on his forehead, and framed by long dark hair. Renard was speechless, taken aback entirely. 

Renard didn’t even think to tell the truth, instead setting about trying to make the coffee machine work. It had more buttons than Renard cared to count, and no obvious on switch. But Renard was determined to do it anyway. Having watched Boblem and Astra do it countless times, how hard could it be?

Very, was the apparent answer as he fumbled and struggled with the many buttons of the machine. Looking up every few seconds to check that the handsome stranger was still there, Renard again and again tried to set the gears in motion, with no luck. 

“Are you going to take all day? I have places to be and espressos usually don’t take this long.” His accent made Renard want to drool, but his words put a sour taste in his mouth. 

Renard scoffed, looked the stranger in the eye, and gave up with the coffee machine all together. The stranger deadpanned back at Renard, nothing but boredom in his eyes. Suddenly, the machine sprung into life, hot coffee pouring from one of the nozzles. Renard put a lid on the small cup and handed it to the stranger.

“Didn’t even ask for my name? It’s Cassian. Don’t expect a tip.”

Renard scoffed at the stranger’s bad attitude, his face contorting with disgust. This dickhead was just the kind of bratty trust-fund baby he had grown up with. Renard went to say something to the man, but Astra put a hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of the situation. 

“I know, Renard, I saw.” Astra said comfortingly. 

Renard went to argue, but Astra cut him off. 

“Listen, I get it. But you handled it really well! You managed to get the coffee machine to work! Listen, if he comes back I can deal with him.” 

Renard nodded, still seething. That ‘Cassian’ was a prat, and Renard hurt wished he never had to interact with him again. Unfortunately, wishes never seem to come true. 

The next morning, at the exact same time, Cassian waltzed into the shop and asked for an espresso. When he was handed it, he asked after Renard’s name, which Renard promptly refused to give. Out of nowhere, however, Astra popped up, with a smile and a witty comment. Cassian walked away with Renard’s name and a two pound tip in the jar. 

It continued like that for weeks. Cassian came in, ordered an espresso from Renard, and the two bickered like schoolchildren. Renard tried to argue about Cassian’s awful attitude and vile self-assurance, but it fell on deaf ears as Cassian lectured Renard on proper barista conduct. More than once, Astra or Boblem had to intervene, trying to dissolve the situation. It got so bad that one day, as Cassian walked in, Renard ducked under the counter, safely hidden out of sight. 

Renard had no way to see what was going on above the counter, so he settled on intently listening to the conversation that unfolded. Boblem had to start the conversation, which was odd. Cassian normally entered and ordered before Renard could let out a ‘hello’.

“Hi, I’m Boblem! What can I get for you?”

There was a brief silence, before Cassian spoke. 

“Where is the hot one? He is usually the one to take my order?”

Renard winced. Boblem wasn’t a good liar at the best of times, and under pressure? Renard was screwed. But, surprisingly, Boblem thought quickly and responded quickly. 

“I fired him-”

“You WHAT?” Cassian all but barked at Boblem’s statement. “Why?”

Renard squinted, confused beyond belief. Cassian hated him, he always found any opportunity to disagree and bicker. Why on earth would he sound so disappointed?

“It was just that, uh, his coffee wasn’t good enough. Not up to scratch, that kind of thing. We’ll have a replacement in soon, I’m sure.” 

This only seemed to anger Cassian more. 

“What? Why? Of course his coffee wasn’t good, but he was! Every morning I would come in, flirt with the hot barista and drink his shitty espressos!” 

The hot barista? Cassian couldn’t be talking about him, Renard reasoned. There had to be some other meaning to his arguments. Before Renard could analyse Cassian’s words however, Boblem quickly kicked him in the side, forcing him to let out a harsh breath. 

“What was that?” Cassian demanded, knowingly. “Please, for God’s sake, tell me he isn’t under there.”

Renard got into his knees, and poked the top half of his face over the counter. Realising how stupid he looked, however, he pulled himself up onto his feet. Cassian didn’t look flustered, but he wasn’t looking at Renard’s face so he couldn’t truly tell. Renard, however, was having a much harder time concealing his emotions. His face was as red as his hair, and he was trying to suppress a smile. 

“Hi,” Renard muttered. 

Cassian just fidgeted, messing with his hair as if it wasn’t perfect. Boblem coughed, trying to relieve the awkwardness, then hurried off into the back room, undoubtedly to tell Astra what had just happened. 

“You heard all of that, I presume?” Cassian sounded uneasy, but his voice was as firm and assured as ever. 

“I did. Cassian, I-“

“I’m sorry.” Cassian said, and Renard raised his eyebrows, not expecting an apology of all things to fall from the other man’s lips. “I shouldn’t have said all that. I’ll go elsewhere tomorrow.”

Cassian turned to leave, sincere as ever, but Renard stopped him by calling out. 

“Wait!” He continued as Cassian turned around to look at him. “You haven’t had an espresso yet. It’s on the house today, actually.”

Cassian raised an eyebrow, but shrugged and walked back to the counter. He watched as Renard made it, scrawling something onto the cup. Cassian assumed it was one of the flower drawings he’d seen all over his feed, paired with #sunflowercafe. Renard put a lid on the drink, hanging it to Cassian who downed it quickly, trying not to grimace. 

“Are my espressos really that bad?”

Cassian laughed and nodded, before saying.

“They are very bitter, very hard to swallow. Usually I only have a sip as I walk out, then I throw it into the trash can.” 

Renard smiled at Cassian’s honesty, but dropped his jaw in shock as he said the part about throwing them away. 

“They can’t be that awful. Why do you always buy them then? You’re just wasting money.”

Cassian scoffed and shook his head in disbelief. 

“Didn’t you hear what I said? It’s you. It’s because of you I come in every morning. It’s because of you I buy these shitty espressos. It’s because of you that I have a smile on my face as I get on the train.”

As he spoke, Cassian’s frustration grew until he was nearly shouting. Renard smirked at the confession, only increasing Cassian’s anger. 

“What is so funny to you, Renard?”

“Check the cup.”

Cassian did as he was instructed, and saw in clear, block numbers a phone number, with a little wink at the end. Cassian looked up at Renard, who was smiling, and couldn’t help but smile back. 

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

There was another awkward silence, crucially different to the last few. 

“I’ll text you later?”

“I’m counting on it.”

Cassian walked out the shop, clutching the cup in his hand. Just before he left, he turned back to Renard, who was staring at him with a smile, and he returned it widely. As he got onto the train, he noted that for the first time since he had started visiting the Sunflower Cafe, his espresso cup was still in his hand.


End file.
